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Dyer credits budget increases for sharp drops in homicides, outlines $406 million police-and-fire investment
Summary
Mayor Buddy Dyer highlighted falling violent crime and said Orlando has increased police-and-fire spending, citing a $406 million investment and recent crime reductions; he framed the spending as part of fiscal priorities that did not require a millage-rate increase.
Mayor Buddy Dyer said Orlando has seen sizable public-safety improvements and defended recent budget increases for police and fire protection at the State of the City address.
"We invest more money in police and fire protection than we collect in property taxes," Dyer said, and he listed what he described as concrete results: "Homicides are down 50%. Homicides are down 50%. Violent crime is down 14%, and residential burglaries are down 30%." He also said "100% of our homicides have been solved this year." Dyer said the city invested $406,000,000 in police and fire and that property-tax collections are increasing—he cited a $21,000,000 rise in collections while police-and-fire spending increased by $25,000,000 for the coming fiscal year.
Dyer framed the spending as part of three long-term priorities—doing the basics of government well, strategic investment, and embracing innovation—and said maintaining core services without raising the millage rate has allowed the city to fund projects such as new fire stations and a firefighter training facility. He presented the statistics as evidence that the investments are contributing to improved public safety.
The mayor used performance metrics to illustrate service reliability: he said the solid-waste operation makes roughly 189,000 weekly stops and misses pickups only about 0.03% of the time, and he tied operational performance to fiscal discipline and planning.
Dyer did not propose a tax increase in the address; instead he emphasized that the city has kept its millage rate unchanged for more than a decade and that budgetary choices have prioritized public safety and basic services. He said the additional police-and-fire investment is intended to add officers and support training and technology.
The mayor’s remarks were descriptive rather than legislative: he outlined budget priorities and project plans but did not introduce a formal ordinance or call for an immediate vote during the event. The city’s next budget and appropriation steps will proceed through the usual staff and council processes.
